Scott Walker rips mainstream media for John Doe coverage

For years, the joke in Madison was that the easiest way to get injured was to step in between Scott Walker and a TV news camera.

Walker -- a former state rep -- was a conservative who liked mixing it up with the media, print or broadcast.

That is still often the case with the first-term Republican governor.

But on Thursday, he launched a stinging attack on a number of media outlets while talking to conservative talker Hugh Hewitt. Walker accused members of the mainstream media of targeting GOP governors, including him.

Walker was particularly critical of media coverage of the suspended John Doe investigation into whether his campaign broke the law by coordinating with other conservative groups. The probe has been halted at least temporarily by U.S. District Judge Rudoph Randa.

"For a lot of the so-called mainstream media, particularly the newspapers, they are so afraid that they are dying, that they jump to put things up on the internet before they’ve confirmed things or have a good analysis of them, and that’s exactly what happened," Walker said. "

"They rely on some information that came out locally," he continued, "and next thing you know, it was up like wildfire when the facts clearly showed that the headline should have been here is proof of the evidence that failed in court. Instead, they treated it like it was a new deal.

"And you know, where do you go back to get your reputation back after someone’s put up a big time error and waited a week to correct it?" Walker asked.

As for what drives this coverage, the governor said there could be any number of factors. He called out the New York Times and Washington Post by name. Walker is considered a possible presidential contender in 2016.

"Well, sometimes, it’s hard to tell in between is it bias or is it incompetence, or is it just being lazy," Walker said. "In many of these cases, it may be all of the above."

Walker repeated his criticism of the media -- focusing this time on local outlets -- while speaking with reporters Friday during a stop at a GOP field office in Madison. It was a rare moment of pique for the governor, though he delivered it in his usual laidback manner.

"The headline back in June should have been, 'Failed argument revealed.' Instead, you all in the media acted like it was a new story and a new argument," Walker said. "I just think that's lazy reporting."

Recently disclosed court documents show that prosecutors were originally focused on Walker campaign advisers R.J. Johnson and Keith Gilkes, former Walker aide Kelly Rindfleisch, Eric O'Keefe, a director of Wisconsin Club for Growth, and a number of other conservative groups and the Walker campaign.

No one has been charged with wrongdoing in that investigation. Walker is taking on Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke in November.

About Daniel Bice

Daniel Bice is a Watchdog columnist covering Wisconsin government and politics. His “No Quarter” column has won a National Headliner Award for best local interest column.